Marie-Claire Moritz, early Vail pioneer, dies

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EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado - Marie-Claire Moritz, who, with her husband, Walter, founded Vail's La Tour restaurant, died this week. She was 73.

The Moritzes came to Vail in the mid-1960s. Walter's first job in Vail was as a chef at the Lord Gore restaurant. The Moritzes went on to found the St. Moritz restaurant in 1967. A few years later, the Moritzes sold their first restaurant and, a year later, founded La Tour restaurant.

Marie-Claire also opened a coffee shop, Marie-Claire's Expresso Boutique.

The family is finalizing memorial service and other arrangements. That information, and a more complete story about Marie-Claire's life, will be published in the next few days.